Koi illness: The Things You Need To Know About The Disease That May Strike Your Fish
Monday, April 27th, 2009The Koi Herpes Virus (or KHV) is a deadly koi virus which has recently emerged in the industry of Koi. The primary outbreak happened in Israel during the late period of the year 1998, early in the year 1999. Since then, numerous outbreaks around the world have been reported, especially in places like the United States, Europe and Asia.
Just like most of the Herpes type of viruses all throughout the world, the KHV is believed to remain with the infected koi for life. The fish that have been exposed to the virus at a certain point are immediately considered as carriers! The mortality rate for the fish that have been exposed to this kind of virus would range from 60 to 80 percent.
The reality is these fish are very prone and susceptible to the virus. The only possible way to prevent your fish from getting infected by the koi ailment is to make sure that your fish will never get exposed to it. Having the appropriate knowledge of the koi ailment would slim the chances of making your fish catch the virus.
Facts about KHV:
Quite a bit of information has been gathered about the koi ailment since its outbreak in 1998, and knowing the important facts about this virus can really help you in preventing it from spreading into your pond. Once the fish have been exposed to KHV, it will always be a carrier for the rest of its lifespan. Even if proper treatment is applied, these fish should never be transferred to another pond or habitat (you wouldn’t want the infection to spread all over into another pond, right?).
Take note that temperature levels at 74 degrees Fahrenheit will activate the koi ailment (a very helpful information as it allows for testing to see if the fish really have the virus or not). Stress is not a cause of the koi ailment, but it can cause the disease to gain a higher rate in mortality. Spreading of the virus will occur if the fish will come in contact with an infected fish; if it will come into contact with the tools used in handling the infected fish ; if it will be exposed to the water in which the infected ones swam in; etc. Sad to say, there’s no known cure for the KHV.
Preventative measures of the spreading of the KHV:
If your fish has been diagnosed with the virus, the only effective way to make sure that you don’t infect other fish is by depopulation. This process is the elimination of your entire fish population. As cruel as this may seem, it’s truly the best way so as to ensure that no other fish will ever catch the koi ailment.
When buying a fish, it’s advisable to quarantine the new fish separately from your current population in a period not less than 15 days. With the knowledge of the exact temperature level to activate the disease (around 74 degrees Fahrenheit), this will allow you to expose your fish to the right conditions for the koi ailment to show itself. Those that live in this conditions for this given period and don’t develop any symptoms have less chance of getting infected.
Quarantining your fish means total isolation; you shouldn’t allow anything to come into contact with the infected ones, especially those items that may come into contact with the current population. Use separate food, tools and water. Make it a point that those tools that you have used for your quarantined fish should just stay always in the area in which they are used.
Follow the proper hand washing procedures when handling both the fish and their items within the same period of time. These steps are sure to prevent the spreading of this koi ailment.
